1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an orthopedic surgical instrument set. More particularly, the invention relates to an orthopedic surgical instrument set that is capable of being used to harvest and insert a bone plug during orthopedic surgery.
2. Background and Description of Related Art
A total knee replacement is a surgical procedure in which the weight-bearing surfaces of a damaged knee joint are replaced by an artificial knee implant. The artificial knee implant comprises femoral and tibial components that glide together to replicate the knee joint. These components are typically composed of metal and a durable plastic, such as polyethylene. Before these components of the prosthetic knee can be implanted, both the distal end of the femur (thigh bone) and the proximal end of the tibia (shin bone) must be resurfaced.
Prior to resurfacing the distal femur for most total knee systems, an approximately 8 to 10 mm hole is drilled in the distal femur for receiving an intramedullary rod of a femoral cutting guide or jig. The femoral cutting guide or jig allows the orthopedic surgeon to accurately remove portions of the distal femur so that the prosthetic knee can be precisely fitted on the patient. In particular, the femoral cutting guide enables the orthopedic surgeon to accurately cut a specific angle relative to the femur (e.g., approximately 5 to 7 degrees) and to remove one or more thin portions of the distal femur (e.g., with a thickness of approximately 8 mm to 10 mm).
Deleteriously, this 8-10 mm hole in the distal femur, which is used for receiving the intramedullary rod of the cutting guide or jig, allows for continued bleeding to occur during and after the procedure. It also occasionally allows for unwanted cement to enter into the femoral canal. A bone plug can be crudely fashioned to fill the hole, but this takes time, and often is poorly effective in completely filling the hole.
Therefore, what is needed is simple instrumentation that can be used to quickly harvest and introduce a bone plug for substantially filling and sealing the distal femoral intramedullary hole in total knee replacement arthroplasty, wherein the instrument set utilizes the bone normally discarded. Moreover, a surgical instrument set is needed that enables a slightly oversized bone plug to be quickly produced on the back table in an operating room, and easily inserted into the distal femoral hole by the surgeon. Furthermore, there is a need for a surgical instrument set that is configured to be used with a conventional orthopedic drill.